LTCC samples in two weeks

Phoenix, Ariz.  TDK Research & Development Corp. has opened a new prototyping facility for low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) products in its Phoenix design center, which now offers both product design and prototyping services. The new facility allows the company to turnaround LTCC sample devices in two weeks.

LTCC is a technology that permits the integration of passive components such as capacitors, inductors, couplers, and filters into a single package. It also allows ICs and other surface-mount components to be placed on the ceramic substrate to create an RF module.

The company said a key hurdle to more rapid growth of LTCC substrates for RF modules has been the long prototype lead times of about six to eight weeks once a design is completed.

The new facility's shorter two-week prototype time for LTCC designs addresses this concern as well as reduces the overall time to market for these products by up to six months, said the company.